DON'T TELL ME I CAN'T……learn how to freedive

Nicky Margieson Schellander found peace in the depths of the sea

- MISHAL KHAN, RUTH ADDICOTT

Treading water, I hold on to a line hanging over the edge of the boat and focus, taking deep, slow breaths. Wearing a wetsuit and with no breathing aids or diving equipment, I take a final deep breath, and submerge myself. Following the line, I slowly swim deeper, until I reach the weight at the end of the line: 42m. Then, I gradually swim back up, taking a minute or so, before I emerge to the surface. While it may sound scary, it is a calm experience, one that leaves me exhilarated. I love the open water and have always enjoyed scuba diving, but discovering freediving has given me a different kind of happiness, one that I could no longer live without.

Keeping active was always a big part of my life, so when I started feeling fatigued, breathless and bloated while training for a half-marathon in March 2015, aged 40, I knew something wasn’t right. My partner, Cy, was worried about me, but I pushed it to the back of my mind and managed to complete the race. When I spent four days in pain and found myself struggling to walk a few weeks later, I went to the doctor.